In the past, chemical liquid protectants, such as ArmorAll, have been sprayed by consumers from a hand operated squeezing pump container. Professionals have used brush devices with pressurized delivery of liquid protectant, such as the Swabby sold by Sunshine Sales, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,583 for commercial uses, especially with automotive tires. While these techniques have provided much utility in the past, they do have some drawbacks.
First of all, the chemical liquid protectant product is expensive and is typically sprayed on the tire (with the consumer device) and is susceptible to being blown by wind or accidentally sprayed in an unintended direction. This results in wasted liquid protectant and in a need to clean up after the job is completed. Additionally, the use of a separate rag, sponge or wiping pad etc. to spread the sprayed liquid protectant either takes two hands or requires one to switch back and forth with one hand thereby increasing inefficiencies. Often chemical liquid protectants are done in conjunction with a car wash. In such cases, the tires are often washed and are wet. Applying chemical liquid protectants to the tires when they are wet results in dilution of chemical liquid protectants and possibly running and dripping of the chemical liquid protectants when it combines with the water on the tire. It is often necessary to first wipe the excess water from the tire before applying any chemical liquid protectants. This is time consuming.
Consequently, there is a need for improved devices which reduce waste of chemical liquid protectants, reduces time required for application and reduces clean up times.